Red Bull Tries To Trademark Male Cows: Sues Brewery With Ox In Its Name

Red Bull might give you wings but owning a company with a bovine logo? The energy drink company won't let that fly. Red Bull has filed a complaint with the United States Patent and Trademark Office against a small brewery in Virginia called Old Ox Brewery for the using a male cow in its name and logo. "An 'ox' and a 'bull' both fall within the same class of 'bovine' animals and are virtually indistinguishable to most consumers. In addition, an ox is a castrated bull," Red Bull said in the lawsuit. "Applicant's Old Ox marks so much resemble Red Bull so as to cause confusion, mistake or deception among purchasers, users and the public, thereby damaging Red Bull."

The logo of Old Ox Brewery actually features a giant blue X, not a bull, or even an ox. Old Ox Brewery has since released a letter asking Red Bull to drop the case. You can read the full letter at All About Beer, but here are some snippets of the company's response:

"Basically you are holding us hostage with a list of demands that, if agreed to, would severely limit our ability to use our brand. Demands like, never use the color red, silver, or blue; never use red with any bovine term or image; and never produce soft drinks. Do you own the color red? What about fuchsia, scarlet, crimson, or mauve? Are you planting your flag in the color wheel and claiming those shades for Red Bull? Do you claim exclusive rights to all things bovine? Do you plan to herd all heifers, cows, yaks, buffalo, bison, and steer into your intellectual property corral, too?"